At long last, two of the three buffoons that make up Shit Talk Reviews finally sat down to talk about what will be certainly considered one of the best albums of 2024: And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth from new LA based powerhouse The Barbarians Of California. The album smacks of rock, metal, punk, hardcore, thrash and has a few surprises thrown in here and there just to keep us all on our toes.

The band’s lineup brings serious pedigree to the table with Eric Stenman on guitar and bass (Tinfed, 35 year studio guru as engineer, producer, mixer and stunt guitarist,) Aaron Bruno (singer of AWOLNATION, Under The Influence Of Giants, Home Town Hero,) Isaac Carpenter (drummer for AWOLNATION, Gosling, Loaded,) and Zach Irons (guitarist for AWOLNATION.) They also brought in Tim McIlrath from Rise Against and Daryl Taberski of Snapcase for guest appearances.

While you might immediately assume that with such an AWOLNATION heavy lineup that The Barbarians Of California would be a similar band, you’d be wrong. There are certainly some AWOLNATION seasonings sprinkled on the album, but this record is a definite departure from that. Aaron’s vocals are frantic and unhinged while maintaining perfect control, the guitar work by Eric and Zack is groovy, thrashy and pristine and Isaac’s drumming is powerful and lays a heavy heartbeat for this new breath that’s been pumped into our musical lungs.

The band brings serious heavy to this album and it’s a fantastically refreshing listen. It covers a bunch of genres, but stays cohesive throughout. It absolutely warrants listening to. You should also check out the interview the Shit Talk guys did with Eric Stenman a few weeks back to get deeper into the band and the album.

Be sure to head over to www.shittalkreviews.com for all the other Shit Talk interviews and reviews.

Check out the band’s website here: https://www.thebarbariansofcalifornia.com/

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The Shit Talk fellas had a very enjoyable chat with the super talented studio engineer, producer and mixer Eric Stenman. Eric has been working in the music industry for over 35 years, both playing bass and guitar and running studios, wearing all sorts of different hats along the way. Going back to 2011, he has worked with Aaron Bruno and Los Angeles based band AWOLNATION. In recent years, Eric and Aaron connected with some heavy material that Eric had been working on in the shadows. Fortunately for all of us, we now get to hear what they came up with, and it is absolutely stellar.

The Barbarians Of California have smashed onto the scene with the release of their first album And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth. It’s packed with all kinds of musical flavors from punk to metal and thrash, punctuated by some moments of surprising calm. Fellow AWOLNATION members Isaac Carpenter on drums and Zach Irons on guitar round out the band’s lineup and they’ve delivered a heavy, super energetic, slammin’ first album. We’re all hoping that they hurry up and tour this album and then release more material!

You can follow The Barbarians Of California on Instagram at @barbariansofca

00:00 Intro

01:25 The origins of The Barbarians Of California

05:40 The band’s sound

08:40 Potential future plans for TBoC

10:50 Balancing heavy music while working on other styles of music

13:20 The nostalgia of working in an old school fashion

16:50 Finding new music to listen to

19:52 Bazooka! (And associated guitar tones)

23:20 Tim McIlrath (Rise Against)

25:29 Working with AWOLNATION and meeting Aaron Bruno

28:51 Eric’s musical collaborator wish list

31:25 Working with Deftones

33:21 Graphic/art design work for TBoC

35:58 Wearing different hats while working in the studio

41:08 Stopping to appreciate the good things and becoming “successful”

43:28 Eric’s perfect day and what’s really important in life

Be sure to head over to www.shittalkreviews.com for all the interviews and album reviews. You can even read up on how to best plant your perennials for the best flowers your grandma will ever lay her eyes on!

#thebarbariansofcalifornia #andnowimjustgnashingmyteeth #ericstenman #aaronbruno #zachirons #isaaccarpenter #punk #metal #thrash #crossovermusic #sepultura #maxcavalera #tinfed #awolnation #redbullstudios

Right around 20 years ago, Lamb Of God released Ashes Of The Wake. The reviews back then were excellent, just as the reviews of the 20th Anniversary re-release have been. And since Lamb Of God has been such a staple (and because LoG is fast becoming a heritage band within the genre) the Shit Talk yahoos wanted to talk about it.

Be sure to drop by www.shittalkreviews/com for a slew of other reviews and interviews with all sorts of awesome musicians.

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